


Look Before You Leap

by Jantique



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Leap Day, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-29
Updated: 2012-02-29
Packaged: 2017-10-31 22:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/348843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jantique/pseuds/Jantique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Leap Day, will Lori get her big break and snare Steve? (Not a chance in Hell!) But what does actually happen?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Look Before You Leap

**Author's Note:**

> For purposes of this story, Weston is still with Five-0. Because I couldn’t resist one last Lori-bashing!

_February 29, 2012_

 

 

The men of Five-0 looked up when Kono and Lori entered the HQ main room, heads together and giggling like schoolgirls. They knew this could only mean trouble. The women looked up, eyed the men, and burst into outright laughter. _Definitely_ trouble!

 

“Care to share the joke, ladies?” Danny asked.

 

“Do you know what today is?” Kono said brightly.

 

“Wednesday.”

 

“February 28th—no, wait, 29th.”

 

Lori burbled, “It’s Sadie Hawkins Day!”

 

“Ah, no, actually it’s not.” Danny stepped forward.

 

“But—“

 

“No,” he smoothly continued, “Sadie Hawkins Day is the first Saturday in November, and it comes from a comic strip, "Li'l Abner". However, Leap Day is traditionally the day for women to propose to men. According to legend, in 5th century Ireland, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. St. Patrick said the women could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.

 

“Furthermore, in 1288, Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine.”

 

He smiled at his stunned audience. How did Danny _know_ this shit?!

 

Steve was the first to recover. “Uh, Gracie’s homework?”

 

Danny beamed. “We--ah, she wrote a paper all about Leap Day. I fully expect an A.”

 

Chin inquired of the women, “So were either of you planning to propose marriage to anyone?”

 

The women looked at each other and giggled again.

 

“Uh, no, just dates,” Lori said.

 

“ _Romantic_ dates,” Kono added.

 

Chin smiled beatifically. As a married man, he was safe. Danny and Steve, however, looked at each other in growing agitation. It was no secret in the office that Lori had a not-so-hidden crush on Steve. And that she was blissfully unaware of Danny and Steve’s relationship. They could both see disaster looming.

 

“Okay, everyone, this has been fun, but Steve, I really need to talk to you,” Danny said quickly. “ _Right away_ ,” he emphasized.

 

Lori pouted. “Oh, Steve, I really wanted to talk to you!” She smiled winningly.

 

Steve blanched. “Um, sure, Lori. Just as soon as I talk to Danny, you’re next. Okay?”

 

She sighed, and resigned herself to waiting. After all, a few minutes more wouldn’t make any difference.

 

Kono hurried to her office to call Ben, and tell him to pick her up at 7:00. She had plans.

 

Meanwhile, in Steve’s office, an intense discussion was going on.

 

“Look, babe,” Danny said, “you have two choices. Well, three. You can actually go on a date with her, which would be cruel, and by the way, you’ll be sleeping on the couch _forever_.”

 

Steve interrupted, “Danny, I’m not going on a date with Lori!”

 

“Good. Where was I?” He waved a hand, willing words to appear. “Right, your choices. You can tell her you’re not interested—which I think it’s pretty clear by now, she will not _believe_ —or you can tell her the truth.”

 

“I thought we were taking it slow. Not telling anyone yet.” ‘ _Not making that kind of commitment_ ,’ Steve thought.

 

“Well, yes, we were,” Danny conceded the point. “But you know that Chin and Kono know, right? They’d have to be pretty piss-poor detectives not to.” Left unspoken was the ancillary thought that Lori _was_ , and her Profiler certificate not worth the paper it was printed on.

 

“Yeah, but—”  Steve waved his own hand and sighed.

 

Danny grew serious. “Look, Steve, this doesn’t have to change anything between us. We are what we are. But we are _in_ a relationship, a _monogamous_ relationship I might add, and I think she needs that to be made clear to her.”

 

“Yeah, okay.” Steve thought it over as Danny turned to leave. As Danny reached for the doorknob, Steve, trying for casual and failing miserably, asked, “So are only women allowed to propose on the 29th?”  
  


Danny stood stock-still. Slowly, he drew back his hand and stood up straight, still facing the door.  “Um, no, I don’t think there’s any prohibition on men proposing.” His heart was going a mile a minute.

 

Steve took a deep breath. He could face down armed terrorists, but he didn’t know if he had the nerve to do this. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t try.

 

“Danny? Look at me, please.”

 

Slowly Danny turned around.

 

Steve looked into ocean-blue eyes and said, “Danny Williams, will you marry me?” The world stood still for an instant.

 

Danny’s smile was as bright as the sun. “Yes, Steve McGarrett, I will marry you.” Then they reached out both hands for each other, just holding hands for a moment, before maneuvering into a kiss. They stood there, just holding each other and kissing, for a long moment, before Steve broke the kiss and exclaimed, “Yes!”

 

Danny smiled indulgently. “Yes, babe. Definitely yes.”

 

Lori paced the main room, waiting for her chance to talk with Steve. If she could just get them alone together, she knew she could win him over. She’d already made reservations at a fancy French restaurant. Through the glass walls, she could see the men talking. She thought Danny was a bad influence on Steve, monopolizing his attention. Good, Danny was finally leaving. She watched as he stopped, turned back … no, oh, no! It couldn’t be true! She stared, transfixed, disbelieving.

 

Lori didn’t notice Kono until she stepped next to her and said, “Oh, good, Steve and Danny finally figured it out! It’s about time!”

 

Shocked, Lori fled. She went straight to the Governor’s office and submitted her resignation, effective immediately. Then she bought a ticket to the mainland. She’d been a fool, and she needed to be anywhere but here.

 

The Governor married Steve and Danny (okay, presided over their civil union) three weeks later. Grace, of course, was the flower girl. And every Leap Day thereafter, Steve asked Danny to marry him. Danny always said yes.

 

END

 


End file.
